Homeopathy

The aim of this study is to explain homeopathy, and make a critical evaluation of the doctrine and its clinical practice. The discipline of homeopathy, a medical doctrine advanced by Samuel Hahnemann in the late eighteenth and the early nineteenth centuries, is based on a physiological theory according to which a "vital force dominates the human body in an unopposed and dynamic way"; disease processes are considered the consequence of a disturbance of this vital force. According to this doctrine, there are only three diseases: psora, sycosis and lues.

There has been a striking increase in Americans' awareness and use of alternative therapies over the last decade. Women, in particular, have been drawn to explore these unconventional health practices, which include herbal medicine, acupuncture, homeopathy, manual therapies, energy healing, and mind-body therapies.

ADHD is a syndrome that can be treated effectively, safely, and economically with stimulant medications. There is no equal alternative to these agents in short-term treatment of ADHD symptoms. However, many families seek alternatives to stimulants and other drug treatments for a variety of reasons. Alternative approaches reflect the complexity and heterogeneity of the disorder by being equally manifold, complex, and often obscure in their modus operandi. Scientific evidence suggests that individualized dietary management may be effective in some children.

The use of complementary or alternative therapies by patients with rheumatic diseases is widespread and under-reported by patient to physician. The most commonly used forms of therapy are herbal/nutrient supplements, chiropractic, homeopathy, and acupuncture. The use of these therapies for treatment of rheumatic disease is not substantiated by review of the available medical literature. Furthermore, these therapies are expensive and potentially toxic.

Over the past two decades, research into structure formation and structure conservation in water has created a significant interest among the homeopathy research community. The formation of sustained static and dynamic structures in aqueous solutions is thought to be synonymous with the possible storage of information in associated liquids. Prominent models and experiments considering this possibility are presented in this paper, and some of their subtleties, which were not given much room in the respective original publications, will be elucidated in more detail here.

Homeopathy is often advocated as a prophylaxis of migraine and headaches. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the clinical trials, testing the efficacy of homeopathy for these indications. Independent computerized literature searches were carried out in 4 databases. Only randomized, placebo-controlled trials were included. Four such studies were found. Their methodological quality was variable but, on average, satisfactory. One study suggested that homeopathic remedies were effective. The other, methodologically stronger trials did not support this notion.

Acute otitis media is the subject of many unresolved points of controversy: 1) correct diagnosis; 2) whether or not bacteria are present in each case of acute otitis media; 3) spontaneous course; 4) indication of antibiotherapy; 5) treatment of recurrent acute otitis media; and 6) the place of alternative medicine, such as homeopathy. There is no ideal response. It is important, however, to take into account the knowledge of the different otoscopic stages of acute otitis media and the fact that the course of the disease is spontaneously favorable in the majority of cases.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence and types of complementary and alternative medicine therapies used by certified nurse-midwives in North Carolina. METHODS: Surveys were sent to all 120 licensed certified nurse-midwives in North Carolina requesting information concerning their recommendations for use of complementary and alternative medicine for their pregnant or postpartum patients. RESULTS: Eighty-two responses were received (68.3%). Seventy-seven (93.9%) reported recommending complementary and alternative medicine to their pregnant patients in the past year.